COT Neighbors United Champions Unstructured Play, Sparking a National Movement from Tonawanda

TONAWANDA, NY – In an era where screens increasingly dominate childhood, one local organization is leading a vibrant charge to reclaim the timeless joy of free, messy, and imaginative play. COT Neighbors United, through its innovative Pop-Up Playgrounds and grand annual Day of Play, is not only fostering local community connections but also inspiring a national movement to bring back the fundamental benefits of unstructured childhood.

For Lindsay Brauer Dzielski, Play Coordinator for COT Neighbors United and a passionate play advocate, the mission began with a personal observation in 2018.

"I started to question why it was hard to find kids for my son to play with who would play without screens – who wanted to be outside and knew how to be a kid!" she recounts. This personal query quickly evolved into a broader understanding of play's critical role in child development, particularly its direct correlation to mental health.

"As the play coordinator and play advocate, I need to help spread the play word," Dzielski emphasizes. "I need parents to remember what it's like to have free play that adults don't control. I need parents to see the connection between anxiety, mental health, and how it directly correlates to decreased play in childhood."

Embracing the Mess: Pop Up Playgrounds and the Day of Play

COT Neighbors United's flagship initiatives are designed to deliver exactly that: play without adult intervention, technology, or rigid rules.

Their Pop Up Playgrounds, held monthly from May to August at Niawanda Park, offer "a slow introduction to what kids should be doing when it comes to play.

" These events celebrate the simplicity of childhood joy, featuring cardboard forts, climbing ropes, building, knocking down, scooping, and dumping. "Mess isn't a concern; it's the act of play that is," Dzielski notes.

The annual Day of Play, launched in 2021 at Veterans Park, serves as the grand send-off for the Pop Ups each September. This larger, longer event amplifies the fun, promising more boxes, more water, and more glorious mess. It transcends typical playground activities, inviting children and adults alike to engage in generational play, such as launching model rockets, creating mud kitchens, using shaving cream as an art material, and even diving into a ball pit or a pool of birdseed for sensory exploration.

"It's our way to show parents it's okay to be hands-off a little… It's okay to let them get filthy… It's okay to get messy," Dzielski explains, adding with a smile, "the firemen come to spray them all clean at the end!"

Play with a Purpose: Educating Parents

Beyond the exhilarating fun, a crucial educational component underpins every COT Neighbors United play event. Strategically placed signs throughout the play spaces engage parents, explaining the profound "why" behind unstructured play. Signs discuss the benefits of "risky play" for developing resilience, the academic support play provides, and its role as a vital tool for mental health.

"We need to bring back the unspoken understanding that PLAY is vital for childhood, and we unfortunately have lost that over the last 30 years, and it's even faster now with phones and tablets being given to kids younger and younger," Dzielski states passionately.

While the "sweet spot" for ages is 1 to 10, Ms. Dzielski notes that teenagers, parents, and even grandparents often find themselves joining in the fun, demonstrating that the universal appeal of play truly knows no age limits.

From Local Roots to National Reach

COT Neighbors United's story began in 2019 as a broader community group aiming to secure a zombie home grant for the City of Tonawanda. When the initial momentum shifted, four dedicated members – Mary Ann Cancilla, Tiffany Zier, Sammantha Muscato, and Lindsay Brauer Dzielski – remained committed to community enrichment. They kicked off their first Pop Up in 2019, slowly building COTNU into the impactful 501(c)(3) non-profit it is today.

The organization's pioneering work in Tonawanda has garnered national attention. Dzielski has presented at the International Play Association USA Conference (2022, 2024) and the US Play Coalition (2022, 2023). Taking on a leadership role within IPAUSA, she was instrumental in establishing the National Day of Play, directly inspired by Tonawanda's own Day of Play. Last year, over 30 communities across the nation joined in, a testament to the Tonawanda group's pioneering spirit and dedication to childhood.

In addition to their play initiatives, COT Neighbors United also hosts other community events, including a spring Plant Swap, a city-wide garage sale, a Tonawanda Home Tour in the fall, and occasional "Teen Wars" – a cooler version of the pop-up play for older kids.

Get Involved!

Families looking to join the fun can mark their calendars: all COT Neighbors United play events take place on the third Saturday of the month.

• Pop Up Playgrounds: May - August, 10 am - 12 pm at Niawanda Park.

• Day of Play: September, 10 am - 2 pm at Veterans Park in the City of Tonawanda.

In a world seeking solutions for childhood challenges, COT Neighbors United offers a simple, yet profound answer: just play.

For more information on COT Neighbors United, upcoming events, or to chat about the power of play, visit www.cotneighbors.com or their Facebook page @cotneighborsunited. You can also reach Lindsay Brauer Dzielski directly at 716-440-8827.